SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – Two major projects will be breaking ground in Silicon Valley in the month of April, providing a much needed shot in the arm to the hard-hit construction industry.

The unemployment rate in the Silicon Valley construction trade stood at 30%. That may change after these two projects – which many thought would never happen – break ground.

The BART extension to San Jose was slated to break ground in mid-April, and the billion-dollar-plus 49ers stadium project the following week.

“(There will be a) big impact on jobs here in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area region,” said Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO, Carl Guardino. “BART to Silicon Valley specifically, it’s a four-year construction cycle. Each of those four years, (will result in) 2,500 direct construction and construction-related jobs.”

BART trains are expected to start running through Silicon Valley in 2016.

The stadium project is projected to create a total of 7,000 jobs.

KCBS’ Mike Colgan Reports:

Relief Coming to Silicon Valley's Struggling Construction Industry

“There’s absolutely a linkage between the success of the 49ers stadium, their groundbreaking being on April 19, and the success led by visionary voters in Silicon Valley for the BART extension and our groundbreaking on April 12. And that link is obvious. We have a can-do spirit in Silicon Valley,” summed up Guardino.

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